Desmond Elliot Defends Signing Obasa’s Impeachment Form; Blames Cross-Country Confusion for Lagos Assembly Crisis as Gbajabiamila Reopens Old Wounds

The political trenches of Lagos State have been thrown into fresh turmoil as veteran actor and lawmaker Desmond Elliot stepped out to clear his name over one of the most explosive legislative mutinies in recent history. Speaking live on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily today Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Elliot confessed that he only signed the controversial January 2025 impeachment document against Speaker Mudashiru Obasa because he genuinely believed President Bola Tinubu ordered the hit.

The sudden public confession comes as a direct counter-punch to President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila. Addressing APC stakeholders last week, Gbajabiamila had accused Elliot of being a core mastermind behind the short-lived coup, claiming the resulting political intelligence nearly cost him his high-profile job in Aso Rock. Shocked by the accusation, Elliot chose the morning broadcast to launch a complete technical rescue of his political reputation, describing the entire episode as a case of mass confusion.

According to Elliot, who is currently battling for a fourth term in the Surulere 1 constituency, he was completely out of the country when the anti-Obasa portal opened. “My wife and I were in South Africa for a family wedding during the legislative recess,” Elliot stated. By the time he flew back into Lagos, the momentum to oust the long-serving Speaker had assumed a life of its own. Seeing that a massive majority of his colleagues had already signed the sheet, he fell in line under the assumption that the party’s ultimate hierarchy had approved the house cleaning.

The political script flipped completely when President Tinubu intervened directly, making it clear that he had no hand in the mutiny and ordering the immediate reinstatement of Obasa. While the house quickly adjusted its manual to restore the old order, the underlying friction never truly dissolved.

With the 2027 primary engine heating up, Gbajabiamila’s decision to pull back the security shield and expose this old grievance is being viewed as a calculated move to damage Elliot’s current re-election campaign, especially after the Chief of Staff openly endorsed an opposing candidate. For Elliot, who insisted the matter was dead and buried, the sudden revival of the 2025 impeachment saga proves that in Lagos politics, yesterday’s mistakes are always loaded and ready to be used as modern ammunition.